Irish and Thunder record gridiron wins
The defending champion Notre Dame Fighting Irish senior football team improved to 2-0 in Niagara Catholic Athletic Association play Thursday with a 51-0 road victory over the Saint Paul Patriots (1-1).
The Irish led 28-0 after one quarter and 45-0 at the half.
“I thought we executed plays very well, especially early. (Everett) Hemauer’s two TDs were blocked very well and the offence looked like it was rolling and the kids looked in sync,” Notre Dame head coach Tim Bisci said. “Defensively, we did a lot of things right and we played very well versus the run. We were able to get pressure on the quarterback and forced some bad throws. Any day you have multiple TDs from the defence is a good day. Special teams, especially punt return, had a big day. We blocked three punts and scored on one, and we set ourselves up with some very good field position. I’m pleased with the play of our team today but we really need to stay focused throughout the game.”
Filling up the stat sheet for Notre Dame were: Hemauer with TD runs of 55 and 65 yard; Breton Pearcey scooped up punt block by Liam Herries and ran it back 15 yards for a score; Pearcey had a 22-yard fumble recovery for a TD; Seth Bisci had a 25-yard TD run; Ben Tsanoff had a six-yard TD; Cole Stewart had a 58-yard interception return for a major; Brodie Bevacqua kicked a 32-yard field goal and six extra points; Herries blocked two punts; Jamarion Witter blocked one punt; and, Jake Iannizzi recorded an interception.
“The game was incredibly one-sided and if it wasn’t for the courtesy of coach Bisci, the score would have been much worse,” Saint Paul head coach Rick Oreskovich said. “It appears to me that a few schools in the Niagara area are dominating year in and year out while the smaller schools are barely healthy enough to complete the season.”
Oreskovich was impressed by Notre Dame.
“It was visibly obvious that Notre Dame was much bigger, stronger and more experienced than our players. It was a physical mismatch and I hope we have enough interest, personnel and fortitude to continue and play the rest of the season. Our numbers are low and the coaching staff is becoming concerned about the health and welfare of the remaining players.”
He feels Notre Dame is a top 10 team in Ontario with a defence that swarms to the ball like no other squad he has seen.
“Offensively, they have a solid running game and potential for an equally solid passing game. We are certainly no match for them but we will try to bounce back hopefully and play Blessed Trinity tough next week.”
THUNDER 17 MUSTANGS 10
The Blessed Trinity Thunder senior football team evened its NCAA record at 1-1 with a 17-10 road victory against the Saint Michael Mustangs Thursday.
“It was a tough, hard-fought game with both teams dealing with injuries. There were a lot of mistakes as well that will need to be cleaned up and addressed for the next game,” Blessed Trinity head coach Sean Jones said.
Leading the way for the Thunder were: Josh Fabina with a 50-yard TD run; Jake Portolesi with a 25-yard TD pass to Christian Ferro; Lucas Strecker with a 27-yard field goal; Ethan Burt with a fumble recovery; Joel Villacorta with an interception; and, Jack Szarko with a sack.
For the Mustangs, Connor Cavey returned a fumble for a 45-yard TD; and, Nick Karigiannis booted a 47-yard field goal.
“Jonah Cukierski was put into the quarterback position with two practices and played very well. With less than 50 seconds on the clock, he put us in a position to win but unfortunately we came up short,” Saint Michael head coach Brian Carter said. “I’m very proud of our team and its level of grit.”
NEXT WEEK
Next week’s schedule includes: Saint Francis (2-0) at Saint Michael (0-2) Wednesday at 3 p.m.; Denis Morris (0-2) at Notre Dame (2-0) Thursday at 3 p.m.; and, Saint Paul (1-1) at Blessed Trinity (1-1) Friday at 7 p.m.
